We show that deletion of Rv1747 or pknF results in a number of transcriptional changes which could be complemented by the wild type allele, most significantly up-regulation of the iniBAC genes. This operon is inducible by isoniazid and ethambutol and by a broad range of inhibitors of cell wall biosynthesis and is required for efflux pump functioning. However, neither the Rv1747 or pknF mutant showed increased susceptibility to a range of

drugs and cell wall stress reagents including isoniazid and ethambutol, cell wall structure and cell division appear normal by electron microscopy, and no differences in lipoarabinomannan were found. Transcription from the pknF promoter was not induced click here by a range of stress reagents. find more We conclude that the loss of Rv1747 affects cell wall biosynthesis leading to the production of intermediates that cause induction of iniBAC transcription and implicates it in exporting a component of the cell wall, which is necessary for virulence. “
“Simultaneous measurement of redox potential (Eh) and determination of H2 evolution kinetics using a pair of titanium silicate and platinum redox electrodes in fermenting cultures

of Escherichia coli wild type and different mutants lacking hydrogenases 1 (Hyd-1) or 2 (Hyd-2) revealed that Hyd-1 controls the onset of H2 evolution at slightly alkaline pH (pH 7.5) and under oxidizing Eh. In addition, Hyd-2 influences the N,N’-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide-inhibited ATPase activity in fermenting cells and thus regulates the proton F0F1-ATPase at the alkaline pH but under reducing Eh. “
“Sulfoquinovose ADP ribosylation factor (SQ, 6-deoxy-6-sulfoglucose) was synthesized

chemically. An HPLC-ELSD method to separate SQ and other chromophore-free sulfonates, e.g. 2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate (DHPS), was developed. A set of 10 genome-sequenced, sulfonate-utilizing bacteria did not utilize SQ, but an isolate, Pseudomonas putida SQ1, from an enrichment culture did so. The molar growth yield with SQ was half of that with glucose, and 1 mol 3-sulfolactate (mol SQ)−1 was formed during growth. The 3-sulfolactate was degraded by the addition of Paracoccus pantotrophus NKNCYSA, and the sulfonate sulfur was recovered quantitatively as sulfate. Another isolate, Klebsiella oxytoca TauN1, could utilize SQ, forming 1 mol DHPS (mol SQ)−1; the molar growth yield with SQ was half of that with glucose. This DHPS could be degraded by Cupriavidus pinatubonensis JMP134, with quantitative recovery of the sulfonate sulfur as sulfate. We presume that SQ can be degraded by communities in the environment. Sulfoquinovose (SQ; 6-deoxy-6-sulfoglucose) (Fig. 1) is the polar head group of the plant sulfolipid (Benson, 1963), the annual production of SQ by phototrophs is about 10 000 000 000 tonnes (Harwood & Nicholls, 1979), and very little is known about its biodegradation.